Kaerimichi
by Cracked Egg
Summary: They couldn't heal his heart. Not like the girl who healed it in the first place - Kagome. Takes place during chapter 558. Two-shot. InuKag.
1. Ibasho

**Kaerimichi**

_Part 1 – Ibasho_

* * *

They had a nice home.

Perched high up on a tree branch, Inuyasha couldn't help the observation as he watched the scene below him.

Miroku let out laughter of pure joy as he ran around, far slower than he was actually capable of, with his incessantly giggling twin daughters chasing after him. He slowed down enough to allow the girls to reach him, falling down purposely when they attacked his legs. "You got me!" he cried, feigning shock, as the toddlers crawled onto his chest, ecstatic over their capture.

Squealing proudly at their accomplishment, both girls looked up at their mother who was sitting across from them, holding their baby brother in her arms. Sango laughed at the sight of her daughters conquering her husband. "Well done, girls," she said to them, smiling. "Are you hungry?" She lifted her infant son to her shoulder, rubbing his back gently when he stirred, and stood up.

The twins eagerly climbed off their father, more than ready for their midday meal. Miroku sat up, opening his arms to them, a signal for the girls to come to him so he could pick them up. They did so, and he lifted them easily, carrying them into their hut.

"There's plenty for you, too, Inuyasha," Sango called to the trees, before following her husband and daughters inside.

She hadn't spoken very loudly – only a little bit above the normal volume of her voice, as to not bother her sleeping son – knowing the hanyou would hear her, and he did. He would probably join them later, after the girls had finished and were taking their afternoon nap. Though Miroku and Sango always welcomed him without a second thought, he couldn't help feeling awkward, out of place.

Since the defeat of Naraku and the eradication of the Shikon no Tama, he had been a first-hand witness to Miroku and Sango living out the life they had planned together. They married almost immediately, and he was there during the small, formal ceremony. He helped Miroku with the building of the hut they now resided in. He was the first person they had told when they found out Sango was expecting. He waited outside with Miroku while Sango gave birth to the twins, giving support to the man who, after years of asking women to bear his child, suddenly began slightly panicking over it actually happening. He went along with Miroku and helped him exorcise youkai, letting the houshi take all the rewards to his family, knowing they would share the food with him. Inuyasha didn't need more than that. He would even watch the twins sometimes when Miroku and Sango needed a break. He had actually become rather fond of the girls. Just not of their fascination with his ears.

He protected and watched over the family, the home that they had built together. And he was happy for them. He really was. But he was also slightly jealous.

He would never admit it out loud, of course. He felt guilty enough just admitting it to himself. But, sometimes, he wondered what it'd be like to have their happiness, to not be plagued with the loneliness he felt. He knew how lucky he was to have friends that cared about him, and he was thankful for them. But they couldn't heal his heart. Not like the girl who healed it in the first place.

Kagome.

Just her name alone made his heart ache. He wouldn't even have these friends if it wasn't for her. He wouldn't have a lot of things if it wasn't for her. But she was gone.

He continually tried to content himself with the fact that she was safe. She had her family and her friends. She wasn't alone. Above everything, even his own happiness, he just wanted her to be safe and alive.

Three years he had been without her, although it seemed much longer, and the hold she had on his heart had yet to loosen. He didn't imagine it ever would.

He hopped down from the tree, landing gracefully on the ground, and began his walk to the Bone-Eater's Well. Though the well no longer connected him to Kagome's world, he would still try every three days. Maybe someday, it would be different. Maybe, hopefully, someday, he would be with Kagome again.

He reached the well and jumped in, his feet meeting the dirt ground instead of the time slip. Apparently, someday was not today. Though he wasn't surprised, his heart still sunk in defeat, as it did every time.

Dejected, he leaped out of the well apathetically and began his trip back to the village. But as he passed Goshinboku, he stopped. He stood in front of it, staring up into its tall, leafy branches. The tree brought him comfort. Though he had been sealed there for fifty years, it was Kagome who set him free – both in body and soul. This was where he had met Kagome. This was where it had all began. Somehow, standing here, he felt closer to her.

He closed his eyes and took a deep, relaxing breath, taking in the fresh, woodsy scent of the forest. For just an instant, he thought he could almost faintly smell Kagome's sweet scent among it. But it was gone as fast as it had come to him. Was it even possible to imagine a scent? Inuyasha let out a small sigh, giving the tree a final, sad glance, before starting his walk back again.

Upon reaching the village, he spotted Kaede and Rin picking herbs. They had been gone most of the day on an errand. And with Shippou off training for the upcoming Kitsune Youjutsu exam, it had been a rather calm morning.

"Inuyasha-sama!" Rin called out happily, waving to him, a bright grin adorning her face.

Inuyasha turned his head and looked at her, acknowledging her. Though he didn't do much else than that, it satisfied the young girl, and she smiled again before she returned her focus to the herbs. Next to her, Kaede nodded her greeting to the hanyou, turning back to Rin not long after, knowing better than to expect any real reaction from him.

Looking straight ahead again, he continued on to Miroku and Sango's. The scent of food reached his nostrils as he got closer, causing a reaction within his stomach, making him realize he was hungrier than he had originally thought. It was quiet, meaning the twins were probably asleep. It was easier to eat when he didn't have two toddlers crawling over him.

He stepped into the hut, not needing to announce his arrival. Sango was tending to her son, while Miroku was peacefully eating a bowl of rice. In the corner of the hut, the girls were huddled together under a blanket, appearing as two small lumps, snoozing away. A pot of stew sat over the fire pit. Inuyasha ladled himself a bowlful wordlessly before scooting into a corner to eat.

A comfortable silence filled the room, partly to not wake the children, but also because there was nothing that needed to be said. Inuyasha popping in for meals had become routine, mostly because Miroku and Sango encouraged it so much.

Sometimes, when things got a bit too chaotic around the Miroku and Sango home, he would eat with Kaede and Rin, which he didn't really mind too much, although, at times, Rin was just a little too cheerful for his taste. Being around her also gave him a higher chance of running into his brother. But even that didn't annoy him as much as he used to think it would. Sesshoumaru usually just dropped something off for the girl and left without a word.

Generally, though, Inuyasha would eat with Miroku and Sango. They worried about him, he knew that. This was their way of trying to help him, and he let them, although he didn't feel their concern was needed. They couldn't change things; it wasn't their fault.

Finished with his meal, Inuyasha exited the hut as soundlessly as he had entered, leaping into the high branches of a tree again. It was no wonder Miroku and Sango tried to include him in things as often as they did. He frequently hung out in trees or wandered off alone. He didn't mean to isolate himself so much, but it couldn't be helped. Though Miroku and Sango always invited him into their home, welcoming him like another member of their family, he knew it wasn't his home, and he never felt quite right being there. He belonged with Kagome. That was his home.

He just wanted to go back home again.

* * *

帰り道 (Kaerimichi): The Road Home  
居場所 (Ibasho): Home

A/N: Next chapter shall be less angsty, more fluffy. Much love to **EverythingIsMagic** for all her encouragement.


	2. Tadaima

**Kaerimichi**

_Part 2 – Tadaima_

* * *

It had started out as just another ordinary day.

Inuyasha, as usual, ate at Miroku and Sango's. Shippou also joined them. Fresh off his advancement in the Kitsune Youjutsu exam, he was taking a well-deserved break from his training and was staying in the village.

As Miroku and Sango hung their laundry out to dry, he and Shippou watched over the twins. Inuyasha really didn't mind watching the girls. He liked being around their youthful energy. They were so innocent and full of life. Everything fascinated them. He wondered what it was like to live like that, with no worries. They reminded him of Kagome in the way that their brightness was infectious. His usually heavy heart felt a bit lighter when he was around them.

...Except when they were yanking on his ears.

"I—nu—! I—nu—!" the girls shrieked excitedly, as their tiny hands gripped the triangle appendages atop his head. "I—nu—!"

"You're a toy," Shippou teased.

"Oi," Inuyasha grumbled. "Do something about the twins."

"Not the ears," Miroku gently admonished.

"Sorry, Inuyasha," Sango apologized good-naturedly.

But the pain on his ears was forgotten immediately as a scent suddenly hit his nostrils, causing his heart to skip a beat.

He quickly lifted the girls off his shoulders, plopping them on top of Shippou. "Go slay the kitsune," he told them, taking off for the forest, feeling a renewed determination stir within him.

"Hey, Inuyasha, what's this all of a sudden?!" Shippou screamed after the hanyou.

Inuyasha ignored him as he sped through the forest, adrenaline propelling his legs to move even faster than usual.

It couldn't be... _'Kagome's scent...?!'_

He reached the Bone-Eater's Well, swallowing thickly as he stood in front of it, his heart drumming a wild beat within his chest. Trembling slightly, he extended his arm into the well, palm open.

And a smaller, softer hand grasped it.

He closed his fingers around hers, lifting her up easily. She gripped his shoulder with her free hand, balancing herself. He clutched the hand he held tightly, as his golden eyes once again met her pale blue ones that were swimming with tears.

She was the one to speak first. "Inuyasha, I'm sorry... Were you waiting...?"

There were so many things he wanted to say, but he could only breathe out her name, "Kagome..."

He lifted her out of the well completely and wrapped his arms around her the moment her feet touched the ground. "You idiot..." he said affectionately. "What have you been up to?"

She didn't get the chance to answer, the silence interrupted by the sounds of rushing footsteps.

"Ka..." Shippou began.

"Kagome-chan!!" Sango cried out in disbelief.

Inuyasha couldn't help being slightly annoyed that they had followed after him so quickly, especially when Kagome pulled out of his embrace. She turned to her friends, acknowledging each of them. "Miroku-sama, Sango-chan. Shippou-chan."

Before the inevitable flurry of questions began, they decided to visit Kaede and catch up there. The old miko was more than surprised to see Kagome again. Rin was delighted. The group gathered in Kaede's hut to fill each other in on the events of the past three years.

Inuyasha barely listened as Kagome was informed of all that had happened while she was gone. He didn't need to listen. He'd been there; he knew what happened. But, truthfully, the fact was that he simply couldn't focus his attention on anything other than Kagome.

It wasn't until he felt something crawling into his lap that he was snapped out of his reverie. He looked down to find one of Miroku and Sango's daughters settling in between his crossed legs. She looked up at him, eyes blinking sleepily, and yawned.

Glancing out the columned window of Kaede's hut, he saw it had to be late afternoon already, well past the girls' usual naptime. He'd been so entranced with Kagome that he hadn't noticed the other child already sleep against Miroku. Their son was also asleep, cradled in Sango's lap, though that was nothing new. The infant didn't do much else besides sleep and eat.

The girl stretched her small body across Inuyasha's legs, resting her head on his thigh. He didn't stop her. Instead, he shifted himself a bit, in order to better accommodate her.

When he looked back at Kagome, he found her watching him, bringing a slight flush to his cheeks. She had a soft, mesmerized expression on her face as she watched the girl settle in his lap. She locked eyes with him, smiling at him, then returned her attention to the conversation. His attention, however, once again remained only on her.

The group continued sharing stories, Inuyasha still only vaguely paying attention to what they said. Every once and a while, Kagome would glance over at him. And every time, he would blush at having been caught staring at her. If she noticed, she never drew any attention to it; she would just give him a small, gentle smile.

He had missed that smile so much. He had missed _her_ so much. He was growing irritated. How long had they been talking now? He wanted to be with Kagome. Just the two of them. Was that so selfish?

As if understanding him and wanting to help, the girl in his lap stirred, using his leg as leverage to push herself into a sitting position. She yawned, rubbing her eyes with her tiny hands, and then yawned again. Noticing she had attracted her parents' attention, she announced to them that she was hungry.

Miroku chuckled at his daughter's bluntness and cleared his throat. "Well, it is getting late," he said, looking out the window, where the sky had taken on a gentle orange hue as sunset approached. "And," he added with a certain glint in his eye, "I'm sure Inuyasha and Kagome-sama would like to get... reacquainted."

Sango shot her husband a look, but he merely looked back at her innocently.

"I'd like that," Kagome said, looking directly at Inuyasha. She either didn't notice Miroku's tone or was overtly ignoring it. Either way, Inuyasha was glad he was finally going to spend some time with Kagome.

"Everyone's welcome to eat here," Kaede offered. "Though I understand if you wish to leave, Kagome, Inuyasha."

"Yeah. Sorry, Kaede-baa-chan," Kagome politely declined. "Another time?"

"Of course," Kaede answered with a smile, expecting the response.

Inuyasha was more than fine with that. Food was the last thing on his mind.

"We'll be happy to stay, Kaede-sama. Thank you," Miroku accepted kindly.

"I'll help you," Sango said, passing her son to her husband.

Rin jumped up. "Rin will help you, too, Kaede-sama!" she said excitedly.

Inuyasha and Kagome took their cue and slipped out of the hut. Inuyasha could hear their hushed whispers coming from inside the hut as soon as they thought the pair was gone, but he didn't care. Let them talk.

Kagome held her hand out, wriggling her fingers a bit. Inuyasha slipped his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together as they walked.

"I can't believe I'm back," Kagome mused out loud.

'_Neither can I,'_ Inuyasha thought.

"I'm so happy for Miroku-sama and Sango-chan. Their children are so beautiful. Those girls are adorable." She looked up at the hanyou. "And they seem rather fond of you, Inuyasha."

"Keh. They're alright," Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome let out a giggle and leaned against his shoulder. Inuyasha suddenly stopped walking, letting his hand fall away from hers. "Hey," he said, crouching in front of her. "Get on."

Kagome grinned as she placed her hands on his shoulders. He wrapped his fingers around her legs and took off. Kagome snuggled against his back. He reveled in the nostalgic feeling.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

He didn't answer her, just continued running. He stopped a few minutes later when he reached the clearing at the edge of a cliff, and let Kagome slide off his back.

Kagome gasped as she took in the view of the endless forest made all the more magnificent by the glow of the setting sun.

Inuyasha draped an arm across her shoulder and she leaned into him. He inhaled deeply, enveloping himself in Kagome's scent and drowning in it. "I've missed you," he whispered into her hair.

She turned to him. "I've missed you, too. So much."

He pulled her into a fierce embrace. "Kagome... are you really here?"

"I'm really here, Inuyasha," she answered, snaking her arms around him.

"But... how...? The well... didn't work anymore... right?"

"I know. But today, when I went there, I thought about how much I wanted to be with you, and then I could see the sky."

He loosened his hold on her enough so he could look at her. "So, you can't go back again?"

Kagome shook her head. "I don't think so."

"You... gave up everything to come back here?"

"I didn't give up anything, Inuyasha."

"But... your family... your world..."

"It wasn't my world. Not anymore. It wasn't my world even before the well closed; I just didn't realize it until after. Before, when I was over there, I always knew that I could come back to you or you could come to me. But being there without you... knowing I couldn't go back to you... it just felt so wrong." Her eyes filled with tears, though they did not fall.

"Kagome..." He wanted to say more, but the words wouldn't come to him.

"I had Mama's blessing," she continued. "I'm going to miss my family..." Her voice wobbled and twin tears spilled onto her cheeks. "But they understand. The past three years were so hard for me, and they saw that. I took extra classes in high school, joined clubs, anything to keep me busy. Anything to keep me from thinking about how empty I was without you."

Inuyasha pulled her tightly against him again, resting his head on hers. "It's been hard for me, too. I tried the well every three days."

"Really?" He could hear the small smile in her voice.

He nodded against her head. "Yeah. And even though it never worked, I would still try every three days. I wasn't ever going to give up and believe I would never see you again."

He heard the tell-tale sound of her sniffling. He pulled back enough to look down and found her lips trembling as she blinked rapidly, trying unsuccessfully to keep her tears at bay.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha prodded gently.

Her head fell against his chest and she let out a sob. "I'm sorry!"

Inuyasha gaped in confusion at her outburst. "Kagome? What...?"

"I told you I would always been with you!" she cried. "I'm sorry!"

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault."

"But it is!" she sobbed into his chest. "When I was in that darkness, I was so scared, but when I returned home, I was so happy. I think the well felt my feelings and that's why it closed. But I never meant to leave you, and I'm so sorry!"

"Kagome." His voice was tender. "Look at me."

She did, turning her red, tear-streaked face up to meet his intense gaze.

"Even if that's why the well closed, I don't blame you at all, and you shouldn't blame yourself, either. There's nothing wrong with being glad you were home. I was glad you were home, too. You didn't know the well would close. Nobody did. So don't worry about it at all, got it?"

Inuyasha nearly panicked when he saw her eyes fill with tears again. He was trying to make her feel better! But when he saw the small upturn of her lips, he relaxed.

She blinked away her tears and nodded, sliding her arms up and around his neck. "I love you, Inuyasha," she whispered.

He froze, breath hitching in his throat and a numbness sweeping over his body. The sounds around him became muffled. The only thing he could hear clearly being Kagome's words repeating over and over in his mind like a mantra.

He desperately wanted to respond, but he couldn't find the words. He'd spent three years thinking about how much she meant to him, how much he would have given to be with her again. It wasn't something words could do justice. He didn't just want her to know, he wanted her to understand, to _feel_ everything that he felt.

Swallowing his nervousness, he cupped the back of her neck with slightly shaky hands, tilting her head up, and brought down his lips to meet hers in a warm, tender kiss. Her soft lips trembled against his, but she returned the kiss without hesitation.

"I hope that means you feel the same," she said with a watery giggle when they parted.

"Keh. Idiot. Of course I do," he replied smugly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

A brilliant smile spread across Kagome's features. She leaned up to kiss him again and he met her halfway.

Inuyasha couldn't think of anything else in his life that had ever felt so right. He pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. She melted against him. Everything wholly Kagome overwhelmed his senses and it felt as if she was breathing the life right back into his very soul.

Finally – _finally_ – he was home.

* * *

帰り道 (Kaerimichi): The Road Home  
ただいま (Tadaima): I'm Home

A/N: Many thanks for the reviews and to all who read. And especially to **EverythingIsMagic**. This never would have been posted without her.


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